Staple element cartridge



Nov. 21, 1961 H. LERNER STAPLE ELEMENT CARTRIDGE Filed Jan. 27. 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY Nov. 21, 1961 H. LERNER STAPLE ELEMENT CARTRIDGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 27. 1956 FNg ATTORNEY United States Patent C) 3,009,618 STAPLE ELEMENT CARTRIDGE Hershey Lerner, Bayside, N.Y., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Inventions Management Corporation, Raleigh, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina Filed Jan. 27, 1956, Ser. No. 561,897 12 Claims. (Cl. 226-162) This invention is directed to a staple element cartridge or refill removably receivable in a stapling machine or tacker and adapted to hold a flexible staple element belt in the form of a roll. More particularly, the invention deals with a cartridge of the character referred to wherein the belt feeding means is permanently but swingably and bodily carried by the cartridge. The object of the invention is realized in the provision of a protective and serviceable jacket or guard for yieldingly retaining the swingable belt feeding means. Specifically, another object resides in the provision of a guard or jacket having side walls straddling and anchored to spaced sides of the container of the cartridge and having spaced keeper means loosely guiding swing-able displacement of spaced pawls of the feeding means against the resistance of an appropriate leaf spring anchored to the pawls and abutting the container. Another object is to utilize the jacket as fulcrum means for the swingable pawls. Another object is to provide a jacket wherein the spaced keeper means thereof serve as means to limit belt feeding displacement of the pawls on retraction of the latter. Other important objects, features and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed specification taken with accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the staple element cartridge according to my invention, illustrating the retracted or normal position of the swingable and resiliently controlled staple element belt feeding means thereof appropriately straddling the staple element belt.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the cartridge exhibited in FIG. 1, showing the guard or jacket partly broken away.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of the cartridge container shown in FIG. 2, however with the complementary sections of the container spaced apart prior to assembly thereof.

FIG. 4 is a front view of FIG 1 on a smaller scale.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of FIG. 1.

[FIG 6 is a perspective and exploded view of the staple element feeding means and its retaining guard or jacket.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged transverse sectional view on the line 7-7 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a transverse sectional view on the of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a rear view of the cartridge approximately on the line 10.10 of FIG. 9, to illustrate the nested relation of the feeding means and the jacket.

FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 9 but depicting the feeding means swung rearwardly but idly relative to the staple element belt.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view on a smaller scale of the flexible and resilient staple element belt or strip shown wound into a roll.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged side elevational view taken on the line 1313 of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a perspective and fragmentary View of the cartridge.

Referring to the drawings, the flexible and resilient staple element roll R is housed in a suitable plastic container C provided near its bottom with throat or opening T (FIG. 7) communicating with spaced guide slots 10 in spaced rails R integral with and extending forwardly of line 99 the complementary sections S which form the container C. Roll -R is wound up from the staple element belt or strip BE comprising juxtapositioned rectilinear staple elements E of steel wire, flexibly and resiliently connected by the plastic elastic coating 11 and appropriately reinforced by the relatively thin and elastic plastic substantially transparent tape or film 12.

The cartridge broadly designated SEC comprises the container C, the spring controlled and swingable staple element belt feeding means FM, the plastic guard or jacket I and of course the roll R.

Feeding means FM include a pair of spaced pawls P each having an arm 15 merged at its lower end with a laterally arranged brace 16 each having a forwardly projecting tooth '17 each provided with a front inclined or biased cam face 18. Each arm 15 of the swingable pawls P includes an inwardly turned flange 19 to which the front spaced legs 20, of the one piece'subs'tantially U- shaped metal leaf spring broadly designated LS, are retained by the upset studs 21 extruded from the sheet metal flanges 19. Front legs 20 merge with rear legs 24 interconnected by loop or bridge L having the rearwardly disposed rectangular lip 22 offset relative to rear legs 24. Legs 29 terminate in lower spaced resilient gripping fingers 23 which together with spaced teeth 17 of the swingable pa-wls P straddle and removably grip the staple element belt BE.

Swingable feeding means FM is held in straddling relation to the belt BE and against the container C by the one piece plastic jacket or guard I, that is, arms 15 of pawls P are loosely but swingably and yieldingly retained and guided in the spaced slots 30 defined by the hollow ribs, sockets or keeper means 31 of which the side walls 3-2 of the plastic guard or jacket I are a part. Hollow ribs or keeper means 31 also include the rearwardly converging portions 33 interconnected by web 34 of boss B having the forwardly projecting spaced portions 35 integrally merged with the laterally extending parts 36 merging with the forwardly diverging portions 33 of ribs or sockets or keeper means 31. In other words, portions 35 and the laterally extending parts 36 define spaced bosses having spaced recesses 37 for movably receiving the spaced and bent flanges 19 of pawls P and with them the front spaced fixed legs 20 ofthe inverted U shaped leaf spring LS. Laterally extending portions 36 terminate in lower forwardly and downwardly inclined shields 38 for exposing the lower gripping terminals 23 of leaf spring LS after jacket I is secured to the rabbetted and interfitting sections S of container C, which includes complementary lug 37 and notch means 38' to facilitate positioning of the rabbetted margins 39 of sections S.

In assembly, the belt BB is pulled from'roll R within container C to meet front ends of rails R. Lip 22 of leaf spring L is then inserted within the positioning space apices or corners 40 defined by the strengthening and inclined braces 41 interconnecting the lower parts of rims 42 of the container sections S with the upper portions of rails R. At this time strengthening webs 43 which interconnect the lower portions of the container sides 44 with the upper portions of'the rails R serve to hold lip L against lateral movernent'when arranged within the locating grooves or corners'40. Thereafter rails R are threaded through the swingable pawls P, that is, into the gaps between arms 15 and teeth 17 to permit the spaced teeth 17 and the gripping fingers 23 to yieldingly but closely straddle the margins of the flexible and resilient belt BE. Subsequently, spaced side walls 3 2 of plastic jacket or guard I are dipped in acetone and brought towards the container C, namely, put on this container for reception of arms 15 in the slotted keeper means, ribs or sockets 31 and for reception of flanges 19 together with legs 20 of spring LS in spaced recesses 37. Such action stresses the spaced arcuate bowed portions 50 of leaf spring LS. This action is maintained when the acetone dries against spaced posts 51 of the container sections S, that is, sides 32 of jacket I straddle and are fixed to posts 51 and these sides are also secured by acetone to the spaced fins EN extending laterally of container sections S. Fins FN serve as stop means to limit the positioning of the jacket onto the container. As shown spaced posts 51 are provided with horizontally aligned notches 52 for reception of the overhanging lips 53 of the sides 32 of jacket 1. Side walls 32 include also the corner notches 54 to coact with lower lugs 56 extending from rails R to facilitate positioning of the jacket over but in spaced relation to the rails R to define spaced gaps 55 in which lower portions of arms 15 swing. Posts 51 also have bevelled faces 56 to permit the sides 32 of the jacket to be readily positioned to straddle posts 51.

With the jacket or guard I held fixed over the rails and secured to the container sections S, spring LS is expanded but still retained in a stressed relation. Thus arms 15 of the spaced pawls are resiliently held against the front stop walls of the keeper means or ribs 31 (FIG. 8) and the spring fingers 23 and teeth 17 are in their most advanced position (FIGS. 1 and 9). This is the normal or retracted position of the spring controlled feeding means PM at which time spaced rear legs 24 of spring LS abut the container C.

The staple element cartridge SEC is adapted to be inserted in a stapling machine or tacker (not shown) and when the staple element belt is used up, the cartridge is replaced by a new cartridge containing a complete roll of staple elements. The stapling machine or tacker employing the cartridge herein described utilizes suitable actuator means (not shown) for actuating the cam surfaces 18 of the spaced teeth 17 of the spring controlled swingable pawls P simultaneously in the direction illustrated by the spaced arrows 100 (FIGS. 8 and 9), causing these teeth to be shifted rearwardly, that is, idly towards the container, stressing spring LS. During this interval the upper parts of arm 15 of pawls P abut the upper portions of the front wall of ribs or keeper means 31 which serve as fulcrum means. Swingable rearward displacement of pawls P at this time also yieldingly results in shifting of the spaced spring fingers 23 of pawls P idly over the staple belt between the guide rails R. However, after the operating stroke of the actuator means previously referred to is completed and is free of the cam faces 18, the front legs 20 of leaf spring LS immediately and automatically retract, causing spaced fingers 23 and teeth 17 to grip the staple element belt and shift or feed the same bodily forward, that is, in a direction away from the container as desired to permit the foremost staple element of the belt to be free of the rails and exposed to the driving means of the stapling machine or tacker.

The spaced spring fingers 23 and teeth 17 define horizontally aligned gaps 90 (FIG. to permit threading of the staple element belt BE therebetween.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof inherent therein.

I claim:

1. In a cartridge for a stapling machine or tacker, a container for holding a flexible staple element belt in the form of a roll and including an opening for issuing a part of said belt out of said container, spaced rails extending from said container and having spaced slots in communication with said opening for directing said belt away from said opening; belt feeding means comprising swingable spaced pawls having spaced arms and comprising spaced teeth, a leaf spring having a front part including spaced legs bodily carried by said pawls and including a rear portion abutting said container, gripping resilient fingers depending from said legs and spaced above and in alignment with said teeth and defining therewith aligned gaps for receiving said belt, and a jacket fixed relative to said container and having spaced keeper means for loosely and movably receiving said arms and for exposing said fingers and teeth and having a web interconnecting with said keeper means and including spaced hollow bosses for movably receiving said legs.

2. The cartridge according to claim 1 including side walls upon said container and wherein said jacket includes spaced side walls fixedly secured relative to said side walls of said container.

3. The cartridge according to claim 2 wherein said container comprises spaced posts adapted to be straddled by and adhesively held to the side walls of said jacket.

4. The cartridge according to claim 1 wherein said spring comprises a rearwardly disposed lip, and said container includes spaced corner portions for receiving said lip.

5. The cartridge according to claim 4 including spaced strengthening braces, said spaced strengthening braces serving as means to position said lip in said corner portions.

6. The cartridge according to claim 3 wherein the side walls of said jacket include spaced lips disposed in aligned notches interrupting said posts.

7. The cartridge according to claim 1 wherein said teeth have downwardly and rearwardly inclined cam surfaces adapted to be urged towards said container for swingably displacing said pawls.

8. The cartridge according to claim 1 wherein said bosses are provided at their lower portions with spaced inclined shields spaced from and above said fingers.

9. The cartridge according to claim 8 wherein said jacket includes spaced sides straddling said arms, and said container is provided with laterally extending means to limit reception of said sides of said jacket over said container.

10. The cartridge according to claim 5 wherein said corner portions are in part formed by biased webs.

11. The cartridge according to claim 10 wherein the lip of said spring is substantially rectangular fitting between said webs and precluded from lateral displacement thereby.

12. The cartridge according to claim 1 wherein said spring is inverted and U shaped.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNlTED STATES PATENTS 

